Psalms 24 Study Notes: The Glorious King Enters
David declares that the whole earth belongs to the LORD because He created it. He asks who may approach God's holy hill and answers that it is the person of pure life and heart, then calls the gates and ancient doors to open for the glorious King, the mighty LORD of armies.
General
True or False: According to 24:5, the person who may approach God is blessed and vindicated by the God who saves him.
Answer: True
This is true. The person described in verse 4 receives blessing and vindication, meaning being shown to be in the right, from the God who rescues him (24:5). These things come from God; they are received, not manufactured. Such people are described as the generation that seeks God's face, the true worshipers of Jacob's God (24:6). David himself answered God's call to seek His face (Psalm 27:8). The New Testament likewise presents being right with God as a gift: God declares the ungodly righteous and credits faith as righteousness (Romans 4:5), and Jesus promises that those who hunger for righteousness will be satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
- Psalm 24:5-6 (BSB)“He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob. Selah”The one who may approach God receives blessing and vindication from Him, and such people seek His face.
- Psalm 27:8 (BSB)“My heart said, “Seek His face.” Your face, O LORD, I will seek.”David answers God's call to seek His face, the mark of the people described in this psalm.
- Romans 4:5 (BSB)“However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”Paul teaches that God credits righteousness to the one who trusts Him, not to the one who works.
- Matthew 5:6 (BSB)“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.
Theological
True or False: In 24:5, blessing and vindication are received as gifts from God, who saves, rather than produced by the worshiper.
Answer: True
This is true. The worshiper of 24:4 is blessed and vindicated by the God who saves him (24:5); the gifts come from God's side. The true people of God are identified as those who seek His face (24:6), as David did (Psalm 27:8). The New Testament develops the same pattern: righteousness before God is received, not earned, for God, who declares the ungodly righteous, credits faith as righteousness (Romans 4:5). Those who long for it as for food and drink are the ones filled (Matthew 5:6).
- Psalm 24:5-6 (BSB)“He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob. Selah”The one who may approach God receives blessing and vindication from Him, and such people seek His face.
- Psalm 27:8 (BSB)“My heart said, “Seek His face.” Your face, O LORD, I will seek.”David answers God's call to seek His face, the mark of the people described in this psalm.
- Romans 4:5 (BSB)“However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”Paul teaches that God credits righteousness to the one who trusts Him, not to the one who works.
- Matthew 5:6 (BSB)“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.
General
What reason does 24:2 give for the earth belonging to the LORD?
Answer: He founded it and made it firm
David declares that the earth and everything in it, the whole world and all its inhabitants, belong to the LORD (24:1). The reason is creation: He set its foundations on the seas and made it firm on the waters (24:2). The Creator is the Owner. God told Israel at Sinai that all the earth belongs to Him (Exodus 19:5), and another psalm says the world and everything in it are His (Psalm 50:12). Paul quotes 24:1 when he tells the Corinthians that food sold in the market may be eaten without troubling their conscience, since the earth and all it holds belong to the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:25-26).
- Psalm 24:1-2 (BSB)“A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”David declares that the earth and its people belong to the LORD because He founded it.
- Exodus 19:5 (BSB)“Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine.”At Sinai God told Israel that the whole earth is His.
- Psalm 50:12 (BSB)“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.”God says the world and everything in it are His, so He needs nothing from people.
- 1 Corinthians 10:25-26 (BSB)“Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.””Paul quotes Psalm 24:1 to show that food sold in the market may be eaten, since everything is the Lord's.
Theological
On what basis does 24:1-2 assert the LORD's ownership of the world?
Answer: He founded it and made it firm
The psalm opens with a universal claim: the earth with everything in it, and every inhabitant of the world, belongs to the LORD (24:1). The ground is creation: He laid its foundation on the seas and set it firm on the waters (24:2). Divine ownership follows from divine creation. The same claim underlies God's word at Sinai that all the earth belongs to Him (Exodus 19:5) and His rebuke in Psalm 50:12 that He needs nothing from worshipers, since the world is His. Paul applies 24:1 directly in 1 Corinthians 10:25-26: because all things belong to the Lord, food sold in the market may be received with a clear conscience.
- Psalm 24:1-2 (BSB)“A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”David declares that the earth and its people belong to the LORD because He founded it.
- Exodus 19:5 (BSB)“Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine.”At Sinai God told Israel that the whole earth is His.
- Psalm 50:12 (BSB)“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.”God says the world and everything in it are His, so He needs nothing from people.
- 1 Corinthians 10:25-26 (BSB)“Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.””Paul quotes Psalm 24:1 to show that food sold in the market may be eaten, since everything is the Lord's.
General
In 24:7-10, who is the glorious King for whom the ancient gates must open?
Answer: The LORD Himself, the strong warrior
The psalm ends with a call for the city's ancient gates to lift their heads so the glorious King may come in (24:7, 9). Twice the question is asked who this King is, and the answer is the LORD Himself: strong and powerful, a warrior who wins battles, the LORD of Hosts (24:8, 10). When Israel crossed the Red Sea they sang that the LORD fights as a warrior (Exodus 15:3), and another psalm celebrates the Lord of armies as Jacob's God who stands with His people (Psalm 46:7). Paul says the rulers of his day, not understanding, crucified the Lord who is glorious (1 Corinthians 2:8), so many Christians have read this psalm of the King's entry with Christ in view.
- Psalm 24:7-8 (BSB)“Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter! Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”The gates are called to open for the glorious King, identified as the LORD, strong and mighty in battle.
- Psalm 24:9-10 (BSB)“Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter! Who is He, this King of Glory? The LORD of Hosts—He is the King of Glory. Selah”The call is repeated, and the King is named the LORD of Hosts.
- Exodus 15:3 (BSB)“The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name.”Israel's song at the Red Sea celebrates the LORD as a warrior.
- Psalm 46:7 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”The LORD of Hosts is with His people as their fortress.
- 1 Corinthians 2:8 (BSB)“None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”Paul calls the crucified Jesus the Lord of glory.
Theological
How is the King who enters through the ancient gates identified in 24:7-10?
Answer: The LORD Himself, the strong warrior
The closing liturgy calls the gates to lift their heads for the entry of the glorious King (24:7, 9), and the twice-asked question receives a twofold answer: He is the LORD, powerful and victorious in war (24:8), and He is named the LORD of Hosts (24:10). The divine warrior theme reaches back to the song at the sea (Exodus 15:3) and appears in Psalm 46:7, where the Lord of armies is with His people. Paul says the rulers of his day crucified the glorious Lord (1 Corinthians 2:8), and many Christians have therefore read the King's triumphal entry in this psalm with Christ in view.
- Psalm 24:7-8 (BSB)“Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter! Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”The gates are called to open for the glorious King, identified as the LORD, strong and mighty in battle.
- Psalm 24:9-10 (BSB)“Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter! Who is He, this King of Glory? The LORD of Hosts—He is the King of Glory. Selah”The call is repeated, and the King is named the LORD of Hosts.
- Exodus 15:3 (BSB)“The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name.”Israel's song at the Red Sea celebrates the LORD as a warrior.
- Psalm 46:7 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”The LORD of Hosts is with His people as their fortress.
- 1 Corinthians 2:8 (BSB)“None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”Paul calls the crucified Jesus the Lord of glory.
General
According to 24:3-4, who may climb the LORD's hill and stand before Him in His sanctuary?
Answer: Whoever is clean in deed and pure in heart
David asks who is fit to climb the LORD's hill and stand in His sanctuary (24:3). The answer is a person whose hands are clean, meaning right actions, and whose heart is pure, meaning right desires, who does not give himself to idols or swear falsely (24:4). Psalm 15 asks the same question and answers with integrity, righteousness, and truthful speech (Psalm 15:1-2). Jesus called those with pure hearts blessed, promising that the pure-hearted would see God (Matthew 5:8). No sinner meets this standard in himself, but Hebrews says believers may approach God with confidence through Jesus' blood, their hearts washed clean of guilt (Hebrews 10:19-22).
- Psalm 24:3-4 (BSB)“Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.”David asks who may approach God's holy place and describes the person who may.
- Psalm 15:1-2 (BSB)“A Psalm of David. O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy mountain? He who walks with integrity and practices righteousness, who speaks the truth from his heart,”Psalm 15 asks the same question and answers with integrity, righteousness, and truthful speech.
- Matthew 5:8 (BSB)“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”Jesus blesses the pure in heart with the promise of seeing God.
- Hebrews 10:19-22 (BSB)“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”Believers may draw near to God with confidence through the blood of Jesus, with hearts cleansed.
Theological
According to 24:3-4, who is qualified to approach God's holy place?
Answer: Whoever is clean in deed and pure in heart
The entrance question of 24:3 asks who is fit to climb the LORD's hill and stand in His sanctuary, and 24:4 answers with outward and inward purity (clean hands, a pure heart), undivided worship (no soul lifted to an idol), and truthful speech (no deceitful oath). Psalm 15:1-2 gives the parallel answer, and Jesus pronounces those who are pure in heart blessed with the vision of God (Matthew 5:8). The standard exposes every sinner's disqualification and points to the one Man who perfectly met it. Through His blood believers now draw near with confidence, their hearts cleansed from guilt (Hebrews 10:19-22).
- Psalm 24:3-4 (BSB)“Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.”David asks who may approach God's holy place and describes the person who may.
- Psalm 15:1-2 (BSB)“A Psalm of David. O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy mountain? He who walks with integrity and practices righteousness, who speaks the truth from his heart,”Psalm 15 asks the same question and answers with integrity, righteousness, and truthful speech.
- Matthew 5:8 (BSB)“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”Jesus blesses the pure in heart with the promise of seeing God.
- Hebrews 10:19-22 (BSB)“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”Believers may draw near to God with confidence through the blood of Jesus, with hearts cleansed.